| Term |
Definition |
| Backstrap |
Rear, metal, part of a handgun -- which together with the frontstrap, provides a mounting frame for the grips. |
| Barrel Length (BBL) |
"The length of a barrel as measured from the muzzle to the standing breech in a break-open gun or to the bolt face in a bolt-action rifle, including the chamber. A revolver barrel measurement does not include the cylinder, only the barrel itself.
" |
| Battery |
The condition of a firearms breechblock in firing position. |
| Bead |
"A round sight normally used at the muzzle of a shotgun or the front sight of some rifles, in which the sight is viewed as a round bead on a narrow post.
" |
| Bedding |
The fit and stability of a barreled action within a rifle stock. |
| Bipod |
A two legged support for the front end of a rifle to stabilize the gun while shooting. |
| Black Powder |
The earliest type of firearms propellant that has generally been replaced by smokeless powder except for use in muzzleloaders and older breechloading guns that demand its lower pressure levels. |
| Black Powder Rifle |
A rifle that uses black powder (or black powder substitute) as the propellant either in a black powder cartridge or individually loaded into the rifle. |
| Blade Sight |
"Generally, the front sight of a rifle or handgun, seen by the shooter as a post.
" |
| Boat Tail |
The shape of a bullet with a tapered base; designed to reduce air drag. |
| Bolt |
"A breechblock, generally circular in cross-section, that moves backward and forward to open or close the action.
" |
| Bolt Action |
Bolt action is a type of firearm action in which the gun's bolt is operated manually by the opening and closing of the breech (barrel) with a small handle, most commonly placed on the right-hand side of the gun (for right-handed users). As the handle is operated, the bolt is unlocked, the breech is opened, the spent shell casing is extracted and ejected, the firing pin is cocked (this occurs either on the opening or closing of the bolt, depending on design), and finally a new round/shell (if available) is placed into the breech and the bolt closed. Bolt action firearms are most often rifles, but there are some bolt-action shotguns and a few handguns as well. |
| Bore |
The interior of a firearm's barrel excluding the chamber. |
| Box Magazine |
A removable box-like storage device to hold cartridges and feed them. |
| Breech |
The end of a barrel into which a cartridge is inserted. |
| Breech Plug |
The plug that screws into the barrel to close the breech of a muzzle-loading firearm. |
| Buckshot |
Large size lead shot pellets used in shotshells. Buckshot can range in size from #4 up to 000. |
| Bull Barrel |
A barrel which has the same outside diameter its entire length. This type of barrel has the advantage of being very stiff and hence a greater potential to be accurate. It has the disadvantage of being heavy. |
| Bullet |
"A single projectile fired from a gun, or more commonly a rifle; either loaded from the muzzle or loaded into a cartridge
" |
| Butt |
The rear most portion of the stock that rests against the shoulder. |
| Buttplate |
A hard plate that covers the butt end of the stock. |
